


Trespass

by lirin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Chocolate Box Treat, Crossover, Gen, Pre-Thor (2011)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 04:43:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13674504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lirin/pseuds/lirin
Summary: The delegation was from a far distant place called the Empire. All Thor could talk about was how easily his hammer could smash their soldiers' bulky white armor, but Loki thought he'd like to have a look at their ship.





	Trespass

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Katarina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katarina/gifts).



There would be visitors from some foreign empire at dinner, here to treat with Father. All Thor could talk about was how that meant tonight's feast would be particularly scrumptious, but Loki wondered who they were and why Father hadn't mentioned their visit.

"Where is the delegation from?" Loki asked his tutor.

"They just call themselves the Empire," the man replied. "I'm not sure where in the cosmos exactly they live; it's not in our galaxy, nor in Midgard's. They have a mutual non-aggression pact with Asgard. Your father has not seen a need to conquer an empire that is so far away from our own, so in his wisdom he has chosen to allow them to remain autonomous." He turned to a nearby shelf. "Living so far away, they have not been studied by Asgardians, but we have imported one book that mentions their current political situation. This is a biography of Sheev Palpatine, who is the ruler of this Empire if our most recent intelligence holds true."

Loki took the book. "Why didn't Father announce their arrival in advance?"

"I'm not sure that he knew they were coming. Their systems of communication are very different from our own." His tutor stood. "I will dismiss you from your usual studies for the remainder of the afternoon. That should give you just enough time to read up on the Empire before you meet its delegation at dinner."

 

Loki could read faster than his tutor gave him credit, and he finished the book with enough time to practice spells for an hour and then change into a more formal outfit before he went down to dinner. Not that he really need have bothered with either the biography or the clothes; he was stuck sitting in the farthest corner of the Great Hall with Thor and Thor's friends, and what with the quantity of food that they piled up on the table, he could scarcely see the delegation beyond.

There were more than a dozen people dressed in white, some sort of resin that did not flow. Those were probably guards, wearing armor. Most of the seated members of the delegation wore buttoned-up gray uniforms, only differing by the number of badges and buttons that presumably indicated rank. But the person who was their leader, judging by his seat directly at Father's right, wore all black and had some sort of mask over his head. His attire was not at all military. He must be able to speak through the mask at least, for Father had his head turned towards him and appeared to be in the middle of a conversation.

"I think Father could take them easily," Thor said. "Why do you suppose he hasn't?"

"This is hardly a representation of their true might," Loki said. "Due to our history of peace with the Empire, they have sent only a politely token delegation. They are capable of mustering much greater forces if we went to war with them."

"But  _look_  at them!" Thor insisted. "Bulky armor, imprecise weapons. My hammer could smash right through them."

"Their strength resides in more than just their guards," Loki said. "Their emperor is an adherent to an ancient religion, one to which the leader of the delegation, Lord Vader, also holds. It is said that their religion gives them unknown abilities. And  _yes_ ," he continued as Thor opened his mouth to interrupt him, "we could figure out what those abilities are, and probably Father would be too strong for them. But for what? A scattered empire in another galaxy? It would be a foolish allocation of our resources."

"Have you tried the roast boar?" Sif put in, showing once again that she was the most sensible of Thor's friends. Loki sighed with annoyed relief as Thor turned his attention once again to the platter in front of him.

 

Father and the Imperial delegation left the feast early, retreating to Father's council chamber to further discuss the peace between their dominions. Without them, the feast raged on. Loki held on through the venison course, the pastry course, and the dainties course, but finally left in the middle of dessert, around the time that Thor and his cronies turned the topic of discussion from "places we should do battle in the next year" to "remember that time Loki got tied up and left in a tree". (He had only allowed himself to be tied up as part of an attempt to save all of their lives, but did they remember that part? Of course not.)

It was too early for bed, but late enough that the passageways—and the streets outside—were empty. Loki slipped out through a side door and strode across the training field. Their guests had a larger ship that remained in orbit overhead, but they had landed their shuttle near the stables, and Loki wanted a closer look at it. Father's meeting with the delegation was probably over by now, but the Imperials had been granted luxurious rooms in the palace for the length of their stay, so there would be no reason for any of them to be on their ship.

The hatch opened easily. Loki had been prepared for some esoteric foreign lock, but it wasn't even locked, just closed. A press of a button was all it took for the causeway to lower in a puff of compressed air. He climbed up the gangplank, then found another button on the inside of the ship to close the hatch again. It wouldn't do for someone back at the palace to notice the open door and come poking around where they weren't wanted.

The ship was silent and sterile. Its orderliness and lack of color fit the military appearance of the delegation. Loki wandered further inside. Perhaps there was a library, or a databank—though of course the majority of their resources would remain on the larger ship.

Although it was currently being used as a simple shuttle, the ship had room enough to bunk a company of soldiers, and stores enough to feed them for several days' flight. A wise move. The soldiers would be terribly bored though, it seemed, as the ship wasn't exactly overflowing with sources of information or entertainment. He poked at a computer in the center of the room, and it lit up in Aurebesh. He sounded it out slowly; it had been ages since he'd run into that particular alphabet. "Authorized Personnel Only." Well that was boring. The soldiers had better hope that they were authorized personnel.

Footsteps sounded from the corridor. Loki swapped a duplicate in to stand over the computer, while he slipped into the deep shadows behind one of the lockers along the wall. On second thought, it might have been better to skip the duplicate and just hide, but the light of the computer was damning, and would have encouraged anyone approaching to look further.

Loki relaxed against the wall and directed his duplicate to prod further at the computer. It couldn't actually press the buttons, but that wouldn't be obvious. To his right, the footsteps continued, accompanied by the sound of heavy breathing. Loki's duplicate turned, affecting curiosity. He stepped away from the computer console and turned towards the door.

The leader of the delegation—Lord Vader—stepped into the room. He stood in the doorway for a moment, facing the duplicate and the locked computer. Loki pushed the duplicate forward, opening its mouth to speak, but Vader was already turning away.

And towards the locker where Loki himself stood. Could he know he was here? It didn't seem likely. Loki's throat tightened as the man stepped closer. He slid his hand to his knife in case it became needed, but Vader just stood there. He didn't seem particularly threatening, so why was Loki finding it so hard to breathe? He ought not to fear this man any more than his father did.

"I know you're there," Lord Vader said, his voice deep and threatening. "Your insipid magic is no match for the power of the Dark Side." His hand was clenched tightly into a fist, which he now raised. "There is no place for intruders on this—" He broke off abruptly, as he lost his grip on Loki's throat due to Loki having transformed into a snake.

Loki slithered to the front of the locker but immediately transformed back into himself; he didn't want to find out if Vader's "Dark Side" magic worked on snakes. 

"That's why your presence in the Force felt so different from that of your peers," Lord Vader said. He seemed to be talking to himself, but Loki responded anyway.

"What's the Force?"

Vader ignored him. He strode over to the computer and pressed some buttons, probably checking what Loki had done with it. He stood there for several minutes, while Loki tried to decide whether or not to ask him again about the Force. Finally, Vader turned around again.

"You're still here?" he said darkly. He raised his hand again.

Loki fled. He wasn't scared of Lord Vader, of course. But as he'd told Thor earlier, there was no need to antagonize the people of the Empire unnecessarily.

 

Loki found Mother in her bower when he returned to the palace. None of his tutors would appreciate being asked questions this late in the evening, but Mother was almost always open to teaching him more about magic. "Can you teach me about the Force?" he asked her without preamble.

"The Force?" Mother said. "I've only heard about it. I know that it is mentioned in some ancient books of knowledge, but none of them have a place in the libraries of Asgard. The Empire is the only place that I know of where any users of the Force still exist." She settled herself next to him on the settee. "Personally I've never understood how the Force could possibly exist. They claim that it is in everything—people, plants, planets—and ties the universe together. Instead of performing magic as you or I would, users of the Force somehow bend it to their will and thereby bend the universe to their will. If that is true, it is a very powerful sort of magic, but I do not know if it is one that any Asgardian will ever wield."

"But our magic is powerful, too," Loki said. "The Empire should fear us more than we should fear them."

"Perhaps," Mother said. "But it is better if neither side thinks about fear, but rather if both try to avoid battle. The Empire is not our enemy, and we should try not to antagonize them." She frowned sternly. "That includes trespassing on their ship."

"I didn't mean to, Mother," Loki said, though he didn't think she would believe that any more than he did. "I won't do it again." The delegation would be leaving in the morning, anyway; there would be no further opportunities for exploring.

"An easy promise to make," Mother said. She was probably thinking the same thing that he was. "But I'll hold you to it regardless. Now, off to bed." She patted his cheek. Maybe that meant she wasn't planning to tell Father about his trespass. 

Loki kissed Mother's cheek. "Good night."

Mother walked with him to the door. "Good night, my son. Please remember your promise and don't go back to the ship."

For once, he didn't even consider disobeying. His neck still ached too badly for that. But if he tricked Thor into trespassing on the ship in his stead, that wouldn't be breaking his promise, would it? Mind brimming over with ideas that wouldn't require endangering himself or breaking his word to Mother, he hurried to his bedroom to make new plans.


End file.
